


Sleep

by GangstaCrow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Tired Kyoutani, brief appearances by Shirabu and Watari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-05 09:16:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15167498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GangstaCrow/pseuds/GangstaCrow
Summary: Kentarou spends the night at his dorm often enough that it isn't out of the ordinary, but the first time where it should have been, Shigeru misses the signs.





	Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> hey remember that kyouhaba zine that came out like a month ago? well I forgot to upload my piece here but it's whatevs because I'm doing it now lmao

Kentarou spends the night at his dorm often enough that it isn't out of the ordinary, but the first time where it should have been, Shigeru misses the signs.

They agreed to study together for upcoming exams, and while they normally would have gone to the library, there were far too many people and there was far too much talking to get any work done. Despite the scolding of the librarian, people allowed themselves to mouth off between the isles of books or while working at the numerous tables scattered throughout the room. Arguing over answers. Fighting over books. Gossiping in the corner. Making out in front of unsuspecting first years.

Kentarou only had to glance inside for half a second before he was turning around and marching in the opposite direction.

They settle for working in Shigeru’s room. His roommates are in the Potions room again to try to perfect an altered version of the Herbicide mixture, so he knows they won't have to worry about being interrupted. Passing through the common room and avoiding a lecture about “fostering strength within the competition” was easy considering the place was empty. Most people are either studying in their rooms or off doing their own thing, and Shigeru feels nothing but joy at managing to avoid an unwanted lecture from resident sourpuss Taku. He'd never understood why there was such a stigma surrounding Slytherins and balked at the rumors saying they were all stuck up, but after meeting Taku Shitoke, Shigeru finally got it. The guy's a real douchebag. It's kind of embarrassing to be in the same House as him.

There are more pressing matters than Taku though. Take what's happening now, for example. They made it to his room and cracked open a textbook less than one hour ago and he's already having second thoughts about not working somewhere else.

Kentarou hums as his hand glides down Nagi’s back, the soft purring centering from her chest evidence of how much she's enjoying the attention. Her peach fur is fluffed up thanks to Shigeru’s routine grooming, the air around her sending out thin waves of lavender shampoo.

Shigeru has nobody to blame but himself for this. _I knew it would happen and I brought us here anyway._

In his defense, he did assume Kentarou would have at least an ounce of self control given their current circumstances. These scores dictate whether or not he'll be able to play Quidditch, so one too many failing marks means no play time. With his continuous struggle in History of Magic coupled with the tension present with his House’s current captain, Kentarou has a small chance of being benched. That small chance should be enough to motivate him to study.

It should be. _Yet here we are._

It's almost as if it's Kentarou’s instinct to prioritize animals over anything else. No matter what room he's in or how pressing the situation may be, his focus is always on animals. Even more so if they're friendly. His expression softens, the entire world melting away as the crease between his brows smooths out, as though the mere presence of a cat or dog or owl is enough to set his mind at ease. He's calmer, less aggravated. He willingly gives out attention, affection, and the highest respect he can muster. People like to joke that Kentarou loves animals better than humans, but after five years of attending Hogwarts, are they really joking?

Cute as this may be at any other time, Shigeru's barely keeping himself from smacking Kentarou in the forehead with his book.

They’ve only finished reviewing the material for the first chapter in their History of Magic textbook. The first chapter. Of the entire book. They're trying to review five by tomorrow in order to ensure they have enough time to finish the entire book in addition to everything else they need by exams. Shigeru can only stare in disbelief as Kentarou continues to scratch Nagi’s chin, combing through her hair with his fingers, smiling at her purring.

_He's gonna fail._

“No I'm not. Quit being such a prude.”

Shigeru sighs as he looks down at all the material on his desk they've yet to even talk about before returning his attention to Kentarou, who's lounging on his bed as though there's nothing to worry about. He's starting to feel like an old man. Maybe the stress is aging him, though it's hard to tell if you're growing grey hairs if you have naturally silver locks. _This is the price I pay for beauty._ “It's hard to think you won't when you're playing with my cat instead of studying.”

“If you didn't want people to pet her, then you shouldn't have gotten such a good cat.”

“Oh, so it's my fault?”

“Yes. I'm glad we agree on this.”

Shigeru frowns. “I'm being serious here.”

Kentarou’s hand pauses halfway down Nagi’s back. He turns to look at Shigeru and he knows he struck a nerve. Leave it to Kentarou to focus on the one part of that sentence that vaguely sounded rude. “You think I'm not serious?”

Shigeru rolls his eyes. He honestly doesn't have time for fake masculinity from a guy who can't even sit in the same room as his cat when she's whining. “Don't try to avoid this. We need to get to work.”

Kentarou's mutters something under his breath, but refuses to voice it aloud. Nagi's walking around on the floor, and when she reaches the door, slides her paws underneath the frame to try to pull it open. Kentarou's face morphs into that of complete disappointment when she succeeds. He notices Shigeru's staring and gives him a deadpan look. “Well now what am I supposed to do?”

“Study?”

"Gross.”

Shigeru really does hit him with the book for that. “Quit your bitching and get to work! You have to study if you want to play!”

Kentarou ignores the irritation in his tone as he stretches out, shoving his head under Shigeru's pillow. His voice is muffled, but Shigeru can hear those infuriating words clear as day. “It wouldn't matter if I failed a couple exams. I get good enough scores in everything else that I could get by.”

He's right. He's absolutely right and it makes Shigeru's mouth sour with jealousy.

Despite being raised in the muggle world for his entire life, Kentarou comes from an entire family that has attended Hogwarts. All muggles. All smart. All dedicated. All holding astounding affinities for magic in all forms. To top it all off, there isn't any pattern to what House they're put into, contrary to most other wizard families. Shigeru's family has always been Slytherin or Ravenclaw, same as the Oikawa’s. The Iwaizumi’s have always been Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. But the Kyoutani’s… they've been _everywhere._ A family friend told him that they share the qualities of all the Houses, so the only thing used to place them is personal preference. No consideration for their qualities since they possess them all on an equal scale.

Even though he tries to suppress the little green monster that lives inside him, trying to lash out like it had during their first three years of school together, Shigeru can't help but sympathize with it. He has to study everything they learn all the time with no breaks, but Kentarou's a natural. Potions are done perfectly, he flies like he was born to be on a broom, his skill with animals unmatched. Hell, if he'd been born into the wizarding world, he'd probably a natural in history as well.

Kentarou's just so far ahead of him that it's aggravating to be around him sometimes, especially when the gap between them widens from a simple crack in the slab to a ravine between cliffs.

“You okay?”

Shigeru's pulled away from his thoughts by the uneasy look being thrown his way. “Peachy.” Kentarou isn't convinced. It shows in the way his eyes dart to the door for a split second. Shigeru exhales heavily, shoulders slumping. “Sorry. Just a little anxious. Can we just get to work?”

Kentarou nods, grabbing his textbook and stiffly opening it. He slouches over it on the middle of the bed to stare at it instead of borrowing Shirabu’s chair from across the room to work next to him at the desk.

This wasn't supposed to be awkward, but there's not much they can do about it now. They sit in uncomfortable silence for a good fifteen minutes before the tension in the room thins out. The stiffness they both feel steadily drops and they shift into a meager excuse for a middle ground. Kentarou's reading through the book like he's supposed to, though he's taking half assed notes and doesn't seem to be absorbing any information given the bored expression etched onto his perpetually pissed off face.

Shigeru's too focused on his own work to bother saying anything to Kentarou for his lack of it. All he's concerned about is the ticking of the clock from the corner of his desk to keep his attention from wandering. He's only shaken from his concentration by the hands that clamp down on his shoulder, causing his entire body to freeze. He breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing his quill doesn't have any ink of it. He'd of had to kill Kentarou.

He doesn't seem to notice Shigeru's momentary panic. “I want food.”

“You always want food. How is now any different?”

He looks at Kentarou over his shoulder to see him stare at him like he's crazy. “Because it's dinner time? You know, that thing where you eat food at the end of the day.”

 _Smartass._ He does raise a good point though, and Shigeru spares a glance at his clock. “Is it that late already?” It hasn't just been fifteen minutes. It's been three hours. He sends Kentarou a sheepish smile in apology. “Sorry.”

Kentarou doesn't have to say anything. His stomach does it for him. It's really weird and kind of animalistic, but Kentarou isn't ashamed. He’s just staring at him to push his stupid guilt agenda for another couple seconds.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah.”

They leave the room side by side, voices and footsteps echoing throughout the empty common room and spilling out into the dungeon. Shigeru's still trying to figure out why he’s so eager to eat. He's practically vibrating with excitement. “Okay, I get that you're hungry, but why are you so… that?”

Kentarou gives him a look. “What the fuck is ‘that’?”

“You know. Like. Not normal for you. You're being different.”

Kentarou's face morphs back into neutral disinterest. “Oh. I'm just happy.”

Shigeru hasn't heard such a monotone declaration since seeing Akaashi confess to Bokuto, so forgive him if he doesn't completely believe him. “Uh huh.”

“Yeah. There's honey smoked ham.”

Shigeru raises a brow at that. “That's… oddly specific. Did the elves in the kitchens tell you that?”

Kentarou pauses as if considering something when they stop outside the doors of the Great Hall. “...Sure. Let's go with that.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘let's go with that?’ What kind of answer is that?”

“Look. Bokuto’s embarrassing Akaashi again.”

“Aw, that's cute- hey, don't change the subject!”

“What subject?”

Shigeru opens his mouth to yell at him before he sees a flash of brown hair in the corner of his eye. Oikawa’s talking to Iwaizumi a little ways down the hall, and he'll die before he embarrasses himself in front of his mentor. He narrows his eyes at Kentarou with a grumble. “This isn't over asshole.”

“What isn't?”

Shigeru groans as his head throbs. “Being around you makes my brain hurt. It’s like a disease is physically manifesting the more time I spend talking to you.”

“It's probably the mushrooms. Reading too much makes them grow inside your head.”

“That's not a real thing!”

“Can you prove it isn't?”

“I- Well, no, but-"

“Then you don't know there aren't any in there for sure.”

“I fucking hate you.”

“You keep saying that but I don't think you know what it actually means.”

They bicker the entire way to their usual spot in the corner when they walk inside, and even then it only stops because Kentarou's staring at the meat on the table so intensely that he looks like he's going to attack it. He kind of does actually. Shigeru gets serious dog vibes from the way he devours everything he eats, but when he says as much, all he receives is a stare and huff that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. Watari stops by to talk for a bit before rushing out, probably to check if any space in the library has opened up. There aren't as many people here as there should be, though it seems normal for exam season. Aside from Kentarou nearly jumping Tanaka for something he couldn't hear, dinner passes without incident.

The walk from the Great Hall is quiet. They're both full of food and the atmosphere is calm. It's quite soothing compared to the hell they’re going to be facing soon. Shigeru says goodbye to Kentarou as they pass the point where their paths split, trying to map out the best way to fit all the material he needs to study within the next ten days on his way down to the common room.

He only realizes he's being followed when he walks inside to people greeting someone that isn't him.

Kiyoko walks toward him and Shigeru registers a faint spark of fear deep inside of him. He'd apologized for making a move on Yachi a couple years ago, but she hasn't said if she's forgiven him or not. To his surprise, she locks eyes with someone behind him, moving past him with a spare robe in her arms. “Kyoutani. Can you give this to Hitoka when you see her? She left it in my room.” He hears the shifting of the cloth in her arms before Kiyoko turns around, heading back in the direction of the girls dorm while leaving behind the scent of cinnamon.

Scratch that. That's not her. That's Kentarou, who for some reason, decided it was okay to follow him here instead of going back to his own dorm room.

He hears a sound of disgust from his left as someone enters the common room. “Yahaba and Kyoutani together in the same room? Ew. That's a spontaneous makeout session just waiting to happen.”

Shigeru rounds on Shirabu, who jolts in surprise. “So it's gross when it's us alone in the room but not when you and Terushima are in the hall?” When he hears a snort in response to Shirabu’s sputtering, he turns around to send Kentarou an equally potent glare. “And you aren't even supposed to be here.”

Kentarou looks slightly put off, and okay, he does feel a slight pang of regret. “You're the one who wanted to work. I'm just tryin’ to spend the night so you don't nag me about bein’ behind.”

His anger dissipates. _At least he was_ thought _he was being helpful._ “I do want us to work. But not all night.”

Shirabu clicks his tongue, cheeks still a bright scarlet. “Like you wouldn't do that if we didn't threaten to hex your boots. Do you even know what sleep is?”

Kentarou frowns at him. “So you lecture me about being healthy and shit when you're a menace to your roommates due to your insomnia?”

“I'm not a menace! I just like to work.”

“Uh huh.”

“A lot.”

“Go on.”

“... Fine, I work all night! But you being here isn't going to change that, so go to your-"

Kentarou crosses his arms and puffs out his chest. “Is that a challenge you fuck?”

He doesn't have time for these antics right now. “I literally just said you aren't going to change anything by being here!”

“I heard you the first time you limp noodle, and I accept your challenge!”

He hears a whoop from Watari. _Fake friend Watari._ “Yeah, fuck him up Kyoutani! Or should I say _tuck_ him up. Haha. Good one me.”

Shirabu's gotten over his bout of embarrassment, face cooling to a soft pink. “Please do. He doesn't ever go to sleep.”

He makes sure to scream at them as he leads Kentarou to his room again. He doesn't need anymore compromising comments from the peanut gallery. “Traitors! All of you!”

They laugh at him. Those dicks.

He does try to get Kentarou to leave along the way, but as soon as he opens the door and he sees Nagi's sitting on the bed again, that's it. Kentarou isn't going to make any move to leave at now or for the rest of the night, and Shigeru won't be able to work as long as he needs to in order to study properly.

He tries to be quick to get as much done as possible, but it isn't enough. He writes in journal after journal and on parchment after parchment, but it isn't enough to get where he wants to be. He eyes the clock. It's been another couple of hours. Kentarou's reading from his own books but switches to brushing Nagi instead. Shigeru wordlessly gets back to work in the hopes he'll forget about worrying about him and just drift to sleep.

He succeeds in working for another hour before Kentarou speaks up. Shigeru pretends to ignore him. When Kentarou literally wrenches him away from his desk, any hopes he has of negotiating fall through immediately.

Kentarou goes with him as he makes all the rounds to get ready for bed. A shower. A bath. Brushing their teeth. All the while Shigeru is bartering for more time, though his responses are nothing but grunts of acknowledgment. Shigeru's filing down his nails as he stares at Kentarou through the mirror while he brushes his teeth. “You know it'll only be five more minutes.”

Grunt.

“I work fast. I don't actually stay up all night. They were just exaggerating to get a rise out of you.”

Grunt.

 _It's like talking to a troll._ Kentarou's completely immune to all forms of coercion. He doesn't listen to logic, or emotion, or bribery. He just keep following Shigeru around like a watchdog.

When they get to the room, Shigeru resigns from his campaign of resistance. He trudges inside to see Watari and Shirabu lounging on their own beds, the two others in the room empty since they're most likely spending the night with their significant other like Kentarou is now. Speaking of, he's buried underneath his comforter with his head peeking out of the top. He looks like a little kid. Kentarou doesn't appreciate the staring. “What?”

“Nothing. Just looking.”

“Could you not? It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Well if you hate it so much you could always leave.”

“I don't feel like it.”

“Then you can live with my lecherous staring.”

“I'm telling Professor Irihata you're sexually harassing me.”

Watari looks on in interest, but Shirabu decides he deserves to speak in this conversation. “Do it. I wanna be the best student in Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“Fuck off Shirabu.” He hears Kentarou snicker as he climbs into bed beside him. It's warm under the comforter. Their legs tangle immediately, but neither makes a move to spoon the other. Kentarou sleeps like a starfish, so there’s no point. Watari turns off his bedside lamp for the night, and the room grows silent almost instantly, probably due to how tired all of them truly are. Shigeru's willing to admit he appreciates Kentarou being here, because he doesn't think he'd be able to allow himself to relax this much if he were on his own. He has far too much going on in his head.

Watari is always the first to fall asleep. The area around his bed is the calmest and gives off the most relaxed atmosphere of the entire room. It takes a while, but Shirabu is next. Their other roommates nod off before him, but since they aren't here, it makes sense that Shirabu's air of sass turns into a soft stillness. Then it's time for Shigeru. He's always last. Kentarou tries to keep up, but gives in to his fatigue without any actual effort. It takes a while for Shigeru to go. His brain doesn't like to stop focusing on his future, his grades, his parents, anything and everything in his life.

It's easier when there's someone next to him. Kentarou keeps him grounded. He's familiar. Loyal. He doesn't have to put up a front, he can relax and let himself go. He feels sleep tugging at his eyelids, and Shigeru doesn't fight it. While he doesn't dream that night, he does smell the faint remnants of cinnamon.

And while none of this is especially worrying, one might assume the way Kentarou slept until noon when he had classes was unusual since he hasn't missed a single one the entire time he's been a Hogwarts student.

Shigeru is not that one.

* * *

When Kentarou stays over again two days later, Shigeru thinks nothing of it. He assumes he wants to make absolutely sure he doesn't overwork himself while studying, and his heart swells.

When it happens again after another two days, suspicion roots itself firmly in Shigeru's brain, yet he doesn't act on it. There's nothing _to_ act on.

Kentarou asks again after another two days. Shigeru is getting sick of it.

When Shigeru catches Kentarou leaving a couple spare robes and a toothbrush near Shigeru's things, he’s over it.

When Kentarou asks to stay over the next day, a swift jump from his every-other-day pattern, Shigeru says no.

They fight about it. He should've seen it coming.

They have enough sense to do it away from other students, as most are still trying to cram, but it doesn't change the fact that they're fighting. They’re standing in front of one another in an empty corridor, nose to nose, quiet.

“What do you mean you don't want me in your room?”

Shigeru isn't willing to give in. “Exactly that. You can't keep spending the night in my dorm."

Neither is Kentarou, apparently. “Why the fuck not? It's not like it's making anyone mad.”

True. His roommates don't have a problem with Kentarou. Quite the opposite, they like him being there. “That's not the point.” It really isn't.

“Then what is.”

Kentarou already knows. He's just trying to drag this out like an asshole. “You really want me to say it?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. I don't want you there.”

He wishes he hadn't said it as soon as the words leave his mouth. They know he didn't mean it like that, but it still stings the both of them. It's obvious in the way Kentarou's frown wavers, and through the anger and stubbornness he can see the sadness. Shigeru feels nothing aside from anger directed at himself for allowing his emotions to get the better of him in an already heated situation.

Kentarou breaks eye contact. “Fine.”

Shigeru sighs. “Ken. C’mon.” Kentarou's already turning away to stalk in the opposite direction when Shigeru puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Kentarou brushes his hand away, tense and seething. It makes him feel worse. “Hey, I'm sorry, I know that was shitty. I just… can't have you around all the time. I need some space, y’know?”

He wasn't lying when he said he didn't want Kentarou there. He's a nice guy aside from being, well, himself. He's brash and stubborn, but he's a good person. Being around him everyday though, both in and out of classes… it can become suffocating. Everybody needs their space, and Shigeru isn't able to have his when Kentarou is constantly watching him like a hawk. He likes to read by himself. He likes to study without other people around. Sometimes he just wants to hang out with his roommates.

Kentarou crosses his arms over his chest. “I know that.”

“Then why can't you lay off a little? I get that you're worried I'm going to overwork myself, but-”

“That's not why I'm staying over.”

Well isn't that a nice kick to the throat. “Huh?”

“It was at first, but I don't really need to be there for that. You're smart enough to know to slow down after someone tells you to.”

“So why do you keep staying over?”

Kentarou dodges the question, eyes darting over to the stairs. He's not mad anymore. He's… antsy. _Weird._ “I got the message, alright? You don't have to nag me about anything.”

“I'm not nagging you! I just want to know why you want to stay over so bad.”

He has the nerve to scoff at him. “No you don't.”

Did his brain just try to jump out of his head to punch Kentarou? Because it sure as hell felt like it had. “I don't?”

“You say you do, but if you knew, you'd wish you didn't.”

He has no idea what Kentarou is talking about. It should sound daunting since he's insinuating something bad, but honestly, it's more intriguing than anything else. “Show me.”

“Huh?”

“Show me. I want to know why you think I don't want to know.”

“What?”

“You know what I said, don't perpetuate House stereotypes.”

“I got what you said, and the answer is no fucking way. I'm not gonna be the reason you get traumatized. This is the kinda thing you're supposed to kind out in an unfortunate accident.”

“Kentarou.”

“What?”

“Show me.”

Kentarou's eyes are set like he wants to argue, though they're missing the usual spark that accompanies it. It's replaced with something foreign. Something he can't place. Shigeru's far too distracted by his curiosity to want to question it, so for now, he’s content knowing they aren't going to be wasting more time trying to argue when both of them are too stubborn to give in. “When you realize the shit that I have to go through, will you let me sleep in your room until exams are over?”

Shigeru smiles. “Sure.”

“Alright.”

That's the end of their discussion. They part ways with a brief goodbye in order to tend to their own business, as exams are dangerously close and there's something each of them is struggling with. If Shigeru were slightly more observant, he would have noticed the faint bags emerging underneath Kentarou's eyes that have been poorly concealed with magic.

He's too focused on studying to pay attention to things like that though.

Shigeru does, admittedly, feel a bit giddy for the remainder of the day, stomach doing flips while his legs bounce in nervous excitement. He dives back into studying again, but rather than drown in the words on the pages of his books, he glides through them with level headed ease. That's a lie. He's still worrying and scribbling like his life depends on it, but at least he has something to look forward to later.

He eats with Watari and Ennoshita, yet Kentarou is nowhere in sight. Normally he would be with Terushima and Tanaka, but he isn't in the Grand Hall at all. He doesn't pay it any particular mind though. He's not Kentarou's keeper.

As promised, when dinner is over and everyone is returning to their dorms, Shigeru seeks out Kentarou, who refuses to explain what he was doing. Shigeru doesn't push it. Their walk is silent, tense instead of comforting. Kentarou's getting snappy.

Like a tiny turtle. Huh. Shigeru makes eye contact for a split second before he gets glared at. “What're you staring at me for?”

 _Tiny turtle Kentarou._ “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Of ways to be annoying?”

“How'd you know?”

Kentarou grumbles something under his breath as they reach the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. As usual, Shigeru covers his ears and turns around so Kentarou can do the correct knocks. When the entryway opens, it takes Shigeru shoving Kentarou inside to get him to move.

Shigeru has only been here once before, but from what he remembers, the Hufflepuff common room is the shining example of a home away from home. The sweet and savory smells from the kitchens wade through the tiniest of cracks in the walls, scent travelling throughout the common room and making their way steadily towards the dorms. Almost everyone is happy, eager to socialize, and they can tell a person's mood as soon as they see them.

That must be why everyone steers out of Kentarou's way.

His body language, oddly enough, screams defeat. Like he's lost something before he was given a chance to try.

Kentarou leads the way to his dorm room and opens the door, and one of his roommates is there. Strange. It's almost curfew, everyone should be in their dorm. Or in _a_ dorm. Shigeru doesn't recognize the guy that's there. When Kentarou starts to head out again, Shigeru tries to say hello to his roommate. He doesn't get a response.

They don't speak as they get ready for bed. Showering, bathing, brushing teeth, all done without talking. No questions. No favors. Nothing. Kentarou seems as though he's given up on life altogether. Shigeru still doesn't know what this is supposed to mean.

They reenter Kentarou's room, and still, only one of his roommates is there. He's kind of… creepy. He's staring at the ceiling, face expressionless. It kind of reminds him of Akaashi, but a hundred times more unsettling.

When Kentarou moves to cut out the light, he glances at the guy. “You good Len?”

The guy doesn't nod. He doesn't move at all- not even his chest is moving with his breathing for fucks sake! Is this guy even alive? Is he actually a ghost named Len that nobody knows about?

The room is encased in darkness when Kentarou flicks off the bedside lamp. He unceremoniously flops facedown next to Shigeru, who nudges his shoulder to get his attention. “Who is that? I haven't seen him around much.” He hopes his whispering is as low as he thinks it is. Don't want another incident like the one in the library.

Kentarou's answer is cryptically ominous as he turns over, eyes focused on a single spot on the ceiling. “You'll find out who he is soon.”

 _What does_ that _mean?_

Time passes slower here. It's not because he's tired and his thinking is deluded, it's because everyone's awake.

That weirdo Len hasn’t moved at all let alone fallen asleep. Kentarou isn't really trying to, it's as if he knows he'll never be able to even if he did.

There’s movement from the other side of the room. It starts off quiet, comforter being thrown back before being pulled up again, someone rubbing their hands together.

And then he knows.

_Please don't let him do what I think he's doing. Please._

There's nothing at first. Just the hands rubbing together, slick with lotion. But when they pause, the noise changes. The rubbing sounds slicker, faster.

_Please. Don't do this to me universe._

The universe does it to him.

The sounds echo throughout the room. Slick and fast, accompanied by low panting. They gradually increase with each passing second, and while they're muffled enough to stay within the confines of the room, they're loud enough to be heard by everyone present.

Shigeru's face burns in mortification. He sneaks a glance at Kentarou. He looks tired. His eyes are empty.

The sounds feel like they last for hours. Just pant after pant after moan after moan, bouncing around the walls of the room.

Silence only greets them after the sounds speed up for a split second, panting staggering as the slick rubbing of flesh stops. There's another brief period of shifting before all noises stop. The air stinks of sweat and sex.

Shigeru kind of wants to die.

When the breathing of the other person in the room levels out, Shigeru isn't afraid to whisper it. “I was wrong.”

“Yep.”

“You can stay over whenever you need to.”

Kentarou would normally roll his eyes, but he's too tired to, so Shigeru has to settle for imagining it. “Would've been nice if you believed me beforehand.”

“I didn't think… does he always do this?”

“No. The guys here say it only happens on the days leading up to exams.”

“Ah. Must be the stress.”

“Yep.”

Shigeru can't figure out how he's supposed to look this guy in the eye after hearing him jerk it for that long. It makes his skin crawl. “What's his name again? I need to know who I'm avoiding.”

“Officially? Len Takano.”

“Unofficially?”

“Libido Len.”

“Why is he called-"

The breathing picks up again and the comforter shifts.

Shigeru almost screams.

They try to sleep. It doesn't work. The sounds remain in the room for the rest of the night, long after all four sessions come to an end.

* * *

Shigeru lets Kentarou spend the night in his room without warning whenever he needs to, and while he doesn't complain, he does eye him with pity whenever he isn't looking.

**Author's Note:**

> ao3's policy about monetization is pretty strict, so even though the zine is free, I'm not gonna post the download link here because I'm a good noodle that doesnt wanna get banned
> 
> from [the official tumblr page](https://kyouhabazine.tumblr.com), head on over to the 2018 Zine tab so you can get a copy for yourself!


End file.
